Businesses at the top of Eight Mile Hill, which usually feed off heavy Royal Gorge Bridge traffic, are finding fewer customers coming through their doors.

“Traffic is way down this year compared to last year,” Hitching Post Owner Paul Schmucker said.

Schmucker estimates business is down between 25 to 30 percent but said the drop could have been worse. The seasonal store, which offers Amish furniture and gifts, will continue to stay open through Christmas, he noted.